Letters in Exile: Transnational Journeys of a Harlem Renaissance Writer

This expert collection from literary scholars Hefner and Holcomb contains two decades of private correspondence from Claude McKay (1890–1948), the Jamaican American writer who was a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. The author of poems such as “If We Must Die” and the novels Home to Harlem, Banjo, and Banana Bottom, McKay was a prolific letter writer: While living abroad between 1916 and 1934, he corresponded with luminaries such as Louise Bryant, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Langston Hughes. The letters follow his travels in and around Europe—from the Soviet Union and France to Spain and Morocco—highlighting his leftist politics, queer identity, and search for the meaning of “home” in a world marked by racism and colonialism. His “restless wandering” resembles the experience of the Lost Generation but without the “financial support they enjoyed and the privilege of their whiteness,” the editors write. Also revealed in the letters are McKay’s dedication to writing realistic Black stories and his views on the public discourse around Black art; at one point he calls the New Negro Renaissance “a hopeless mess.” Throughout, McKay’s finely honed intellect and deep humanity are on full display. This is a major addition to McKay scholarship. (Sept.)